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The Problem

The Problem of Religious Fraud

Trinity Foundation's original mission was to creatively explore multiple media to communicate the message of the cross of Christ. But we found there was an obstacle that was keeping many people from hearing the true gospel.

Professor tells why IRS is leaving churches alone

Religion News Service’s Mark Silk, Professor of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College, explains why the IRS is leaving churches alone for now… and this includes the fakes as well, as far as we can tell !

Why We Investigate

• Trinity Foundation is sometimes criticized for investigating religious fraud. Some say our investigations are an attack on Christianity itself. Nothing could be further from the truth.Read more here

Senate Finance Committee

In 2007 we began furnishing the committee information for its investigation into televangelists' finances and tax-exempt status. We were disappointed when, in 2011, the chairman Sen. Charles Grassley made recommendations that didn’t include any new legislation.

Media Investigations

A sample of the investigations we have participated in and other findings on religious fraud.

Offshore Tax Havens?

The state of Delaware provides the least transparency and the most secrecy for creating shell corporations, according to the New York Times. And the televangelists have taken notice.

Disturbing Church Back in the News

Back in the fall of 1994, the Trinity Foundation sent one of its investigators undercover for months inside the Word of Faith Fellowship of Spindale, North Carolina for Inside Edition. Now the church is accused of holding one of its members against his will and physically assaulting him. Four church members who are also members of its security team have been charged with with false imprisonment and misdemeanor stalking and authorities are looking into a complaint filed in February by Michael Lowry that he was physically assaulted, knocked unconscious and then held for months against his will from August 1st through November 19th, 2011. Asheville ABC affiliate television station WLOS first reported the accusations on Thursday, October 19th and the Charlotte Observer posted the story with some more details on Monday October 22nd.

Click below to watch an Inside Edition broadcast about the Word of Faith Fellowship from 17 years ago: